The Story of an Hour

"He stood amazed at Josephine's piercing cry; at Richard's quick motion to screen him from the view of his wife...When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease--of joy that kills" (Chopin, 268).

After my first reading of, "The Story of an Hour" I did not understand the last line of the story completely. I assumed Louise had died from the shock of seeing her husband alive. But now I'm not sure that she ever even saw her husband at the door. If it is true that she died of joy, then I think she died on the way down the stairs from the excitement and joy of being a free woman.

This made me think of the question of whether she was weak or not. I think she was mentally strong and physically weak. I think she was mentally strong for a few reasons. Most likely she was married off to Mr. Mallard by her father. Because of the way she feels about her marriage, like the fact that she only sometimes loved Brently and felt controlled or trapped, points to this. Being in an unhappy marriage took a toll on her, but she did it. Also when confronted with the death of someone so close, even if you didn't fully love them, is startling. She survived that shock. So I would say she is mentally strong.

I think she is physically weak only because of her heart problem, which we do not know the cause of. It could just be something she was born with, and no fault of her own. This problem of a weak heart and her over excitement ultimately kills her.

I also think that Chopin is making a commentary on how great it is for a woman to be free. How important it is that women be allowed the rights of men. From what I have heard about times overs 100 years ago (since this was written in 1894), women were rather subservient to the men. Women had a set place in the relationship, they took care of the house and did not work. (I think this drove a lot of women mad). Louise' reaction to her husbands death is ironic, because one would think, as the other characters did, that she would be crying in sadness over his death. But the tragedy of his death is quickly replaced with her realization that being able to make decision for herself and live for herself is what she has always secretly wanted.